Strong and True

A Battle of Unbeatens (1988 vs. USC)

The 1988 season finale marked the first meeting between Notre Dame and USC in which the programs were ranked atop the national polls. Traveling to Los Angeles, the #1 Fighting Irish were underdogs against the second-ranked Trojans. Notre Dame sped out of the gate, when quarterback Tony Rice (‘90) raced for a 65-yard touchdown on the first drive of the game. Lou Holtz’s team never looked back, and bested its unbeaten rival, 27-10. In this video, Rice and teammate Scott Kowalkowski (‘91) talk about the game that capped off Notre Dame’s perfect regular season.

Tony Rice’s 65-yard touchdown run on the opening drive put the Irish ahead – and they never looked back.